Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis: Know the Signs
Were you aware that there are over a hundred different kinds of arthritis? You also may not realize that arthritis doesn’t just affect adults; unfortunately children can also develop this ailment. Kids are susceptible to a form of this condition called juvenile rheumatoid arthritis. Arthritis in children has a number of the same symptoms as those experienced by adults. Yet there are some noteworthy differences that any parent should know more about.
Juvenile rheumatoid arthritis usually causes inflamed joints for a period of about a month and a half. This type of arthritis is actually quite common, similar in occurrence to that of arthritis in adults. As shown by statistics, a quarter of the population will develop arthritis throughout their life span.
Due to its complicated nature, this kind of arthritis, if not medically addressed, can be fatal. Rheumatoid arthritis that affects children comes in a lot of kinds. These are based upon the specific parts of the body that are affected along with the symptoms.
Several of the typical symptoms are joint swelling, accompanied by stiffness and pain. Some of the symptoms your child might encounter are swelling in the bones and joints. Physical activity can lead to an increase in the severity of this symptom. One may not be able to visually note pain and stiffness, but swelling will be very obvious. Most of the time, the area that’s swollen becomes reddened and sensitive. Due to the pain, the joint will be too hard to move and will impact its mobility.
Children with rheumatoid arthritis often have fevers and rashes as symptoms. The fever associated with this condition is quite elevated, and it may simply go away on its own. If these symptoms do not go away, you can be certain your child isn’t under the influence of a typical cold or flu. They will continue to come back time and time again instead of just staying for a short period of time and then going away. The rash that accompanies the illness is pinkish in color and can come and go on various parts of the body.
Eye inflammation frequently happens in children who are afflicted with juvenile rheumatoid arthritis. This creates swelling around the eyes or redness on the eye around the iris. This is a highly distinctive symptom that is unique to juvenile arthritis, so you’re not likely to attribute it to another medical illness. This problem takes place primarily in children with pauciarticular JRA, and initially exhibits no signs or symptoms, but it can ultimately lead to blindness.
If you ever notice these symptoms, you should get medical care for your child immediately. If you notice a case of arthritis in a young person, deal with it as quickly as you can rather than avoiding the matter, thinking that it will just go away. There are a number of ways to treat the problem and give your child relief from arthritis pain.